By the time Maren and I are headed back to my office, Tobias and Walker have already left.
They have some sort of a meeting at the county. I was hoping to get to say goodbye to him before he ducked out.
Maybe lower the blinds in his office for a bit…
But, I got a sweet text from him letting me know he’d be back as soon as he could, so I guess I can survive until tonight.
Going back into my office, I groan when the light is blinking on my phone, indicating I've got a message.
Or ten.
"I don't even want to know what this is about." Dropping into my seat, I press the receiver to my ear, and punch in the code to retrieve the voicemails.
The first is from Titus, wishing me luck and offering a vote of confidence for the meeting that's already happened. The next voicemail is from the jeweler I've been communicating with, letting me know the item I ordered is finished and ready to be picked up.
Maren is walking in with our lunch as I move to the third message, pen ready to take down notes. But the voice in my ear has my stomach turning as the pen falls to my desk.
“You just won’t listen, will you?Itried to make you see how dumb you’re being.Your parentstried to fix the mess you made. And you still refuse to admit you werewrong.” Matt’s words seem clearer today than they were last night. I guess alcohol packs more of a punch than a concussion. “You’re going to regret leaving me, Brooke. You’re going to wish you followed through on all the promises you made me.”
Now that I’m not caught in his web, the way he twists the truth is so obvious. And while hearing his voice disgusts me, his words don’t sting. I never promised him anything. I was coerced into giving up my choices. Very big difference.
I’m about to hang up—finished listening to anything Matt has to say—but his next claim stops me in my tracks.
“I’m going to make you pay.” His voice is eerily calm, but carries a level of danger that threatens to drag me into the panic response I’ve been working hard to leave behind. “I’m going to take away everything you care about, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”
His final words turn that blooming panic on a dime, mutating it into a level of rage I’ve never experienced. Threatening me is one thing.
Threatening the people I care about is another.
I won’t tolerate it. I won’t cower. I won’t shrink, hoping he’ll forget. I won’t avoid, trying to buy time for him to calm down.
I’m going to tackle this threat head-on and he’s going to be the one with regrets.
I slam down the phone, shooting up from my chair. Moving fast, I stride past Maren, barking out an order she’s not going to be happy about.
“Put your big girl panties on. We’re going to talk to Trevor.”
32
Tobias
When Walker comes to my office, I’m ready and waiting. This is a big deal, and I don’t want to run him late, so I made sure I was relatively free of oil and adhesive, then pulled on a fresh shirt.
“You got spiffy for me.” He looks over my smear free outfit. “I hope you know you’re not getting lucky.”
“We better get lucky.” I grab my keys. “Especially if they aren’t going to let us back in.”
After talking to my cousin a little more this week about the plans for looking through the cold case archives, I’ve come to the conclusion nobody gives a shit about what happened to his mom but us. Not only are no shits being given, but they’re also making it hard as hell for us to do what they won’t. The police keep trying to tell us there’s nothing there to work with, but I just don’t see how that’s possible. Especially if Walker’s right and there were witnesses.
It’s a fucking shame. A shame I’m determined to do something about.
As soon as I tell Brooke I’m leaving.
But when we walk past her office, the room is dark. She and Maren are nowhere in sight, forcing me to leave without seeing her pretty face.
This isn’t getting off to a great start.
“You want me to drive?” Walker starts digging his keys from the pocket of his jeans.
